Search results for "Traits"
showing 10 items of 548 documents
Do phase-dependent life history traits in cyclic voles persist in a common environment?
2019
Phenotype and life history traits of an individual are a product of environmental conditions and the genome. Environment can be current or past, which complicates the distinction between environmental and heritable effects on the phenotype in wild animals. We studied genome–environment interactions on phenotype and life history traits by transplanting bank voles (Myodes glareolus) from northern and southern populations, originating from low or high population cycle phases, to common garden conditions in large outdoor enclosures. The first experiment focused on the persistence of body traits in autumn-captured overwintering populations. The second experiment focused on population growth and …
Next-generation biological control
2020
Biological control is widely successful at controlling pests, but effective biocontrol agents are now more difficult to import from countries of origin due to more restrictive international trade laws (the Nagoya Protocol). Coupled with increasing demand, the efficacy of existing and new biocontrol agents needs to be improved with genetic and genomic approaches. Although they have been underutilised in the past, application of genetic and genomic techniques is becoming more feasible from both technological and economic perspectives. We review current methods and provide a framework for using them. First, it is necessary to identify which biocontrol trait to select and in what direction. Nex…
Sclerochronology - a highly versatile tool for mariculture and reconstruction of life history traits of the queen conch, Strombus gigas (Gastropoda)
2009
International audience; The queen conch, Strombus gigas, is an important fisheries resource in the Western Tropical Atlantic. In order to maintain harvesting success, improve fisheries management and contribute to mariculture pursuits, a detailed understanding of the life history traits of this species is required. Traditionally, this has been achieved by tedious and time-consuming long-term field observations. This study presents a highly versatile and rapid technique to estimate the timing and rate of shell growth based on sclerochronology. The Belizean S. gigas specimens (N = 2) from the offshore atoll, Glovers Reef, reached their final shell size (maximum shell height: 22.7 and 23.5 cm,…
Persistence of remnant boreal plants in the Chiricahua Mountains, southern Arizona
2020
Abstract Boreal plants growing along the southern edge of their range on isolated mountains in a hot desert matrix live near the extreme of their physiological tolerance. Such plants are considered sensitive to small changes in climate. We coupled field observations (1974, 1993, 2019) about the abundance and vigor of small populations of ten remnant boreal plant species persisting in the uppermost elevations of spruce-fir forests of the Chiricahua Mountains, together with modeling of the species sensitivities to three stress factors associated with climatic change: warming, drought, and forest fire, in order to explore the persistence of frontier boreal plant species during climate change. …
Thirty years unmanaged green roofs: Ecological research and design implications
2016
Abstract The variations in species composition and assemblage of unmanaged simple-intensive green roofs in Hannover, Germany, were investigated over a thirty year period, in order to assess the persistence of the initial seed mixture and to evaluate floristic changes. The roofs were greened in 1985 with soil-based turf rolls sown with a mixture of five grasses (Festuca rubra, Festuca ovina, Agrostis capillaris, Lolium perenne and Poa pratensis). Three sets of 120 phytosociological releves, sampled in 1987, 1999 and 2014, have been compared to assess: (1) nestedness vs spatial turnover, (2) functional diversity and (3) the importance of vegetation dynamics on green roof performance and desig…
Different emergence phenology of European grapevine moth (Lobesia botrana, Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) on six varieties of grapes.
2014
AbstractThe phenology of insect emergence affects reproductive success and is especially critical in short-lived species. An increasing number of studies have documented the effects of thermal and other climatic variations and of unpredictable habitats on the timing of adult insect emergence within and between populations and years. Numerous interacting factors may affect the phenology of adult emergence. Host-plant quality and availability is a key factor that has been largely neglected in studies of the phenology of phytophagous insects. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of host plant characteristics on the rate of larval growth and the pattern of emergence in a wild p…
New insight into the colonization processes of common voles: inferences from molecular and fossil evidence.
2008
Biologie et Gestion des Populations, Campus International de Baillarguet, Montferrier/Lez, FranceElucidating the colonization processes associated with Quaternary climatic cycles is important in order to understand the distribution of biodiversity and the evolutionary potential of temperate plant and animal species. In Europe, general evolutionary scenarios have been defined from genetic evidence. Recently, these scenarios have been challenged with genetic as well as fossil data. The origins of the modern distributions of most temperate plant and animal species could predate the Last Glacial Maximum. The glacial survival of such populations may have occurred in either southern (Mediterranea…
Variations spatiales et temporelles des communautés adventices des cultures annuelles en France
2007
Although arable weed species are particularly well adapted to habitats characterised by high levels of disturbance(ploughing, harvest), the degree and rate at which agro-ecosytems have been transformed in the last 50 years in Europe(use of chemicals, changes in crop rotations) has led to profound changes in the composition and diversity of arable weedcommunities. This thesis provides an update on the composition and diversity of weed communities that can be foundacross the main crop types and regions of France. It also addresses two objectives i) applying (community) ecologytheories for the analysis and interpretation of spatial and temporal variations in weed communities and ii) using the …
Boldness-exploration behavioral syndrome: interfamily variability and repeatability of personality traits in the young of the convict cichlid (Amatit…
2015
9 pages; International audience; In recent years, considerable research interest in behavioral ecology has focused on characterizing and understanding individual differences in behavior that are consistent over time and across contexts, termed animal “personalities,” and correlations between various behaviors across contexts, termed behavioral syndromes. Although there is some evidence that differences in personality among individuals within populations can be genetically based and adaptive, when and how individual personality differences emerge in a population is not well understood, but of considerable general interest. Here, using juveniles of the convict cichlid (Amatitlania siquia) as …
Iridescent structurally based coloration of eyespots correlates with mating success in the peacock.
2007
Gaudy plumage coloration is a widespread ornamental trait in birds and thought to be sexually selected. Although much attention has been devoted to structural coloration reflecting in UV, the signaling function of structural colors lacking UV reflectance and those that exhibit iridescence coloration are poorly documented. The train of the peacock (Pavo cristatus), a classical example of a sexually selected trait, is composed of iridescent structurally colored eyespots not reflecting in UV. Until today, the role played by the structural color of the eyespots in female mate choice has never been investigated using spectrometry. We measured eyespot coloration from a stationary angle (static co…